Citing the lack of respect for veteran reggae and dancehall artistes, Sarge Kingston decided to pay tribute to the elders with the song Respect , which also features 1980s hit-maker Peter Metro.

“The reason why I recorded Respect is because most of the new artistes don’t respect foundation artistes who helped to pave the way for them. Peter Metro is one of the artistes who I grew up listening to, so I choose to do this song with him,” Sarge Kingston explained.

He added, “I’m very much a big fan of Peter Metro’s music. He’s one of the artistes that stand out to me because he can also perform in Spanish and to me, he is one of the best performers onstage.”

Peter Metro, whose career started on the sound system Metromedia, is known for a string of hits in the 1980s including Water Jelly, Police Inna England, Want Some Money, and Yardie and Cockney.

Sarge Kingston says Grammy-winning dancehall artiste Shabba Ranks inspired him to write Respect.

“Even though he’s a Grammy winner, Shabba Ranks is always showing respect to other artistes,” he said.

Sarge Kingston, whose given name is Michael Simpson, has been doing music professionally since 2014. The deejay says he wrote his first song and presented it to his brother, fellow recording artiste Toppa Norris, who in turn advised that he, Sarge, should record the song himself.

Respect will be released this month-end along with a music video.

Originally from Seaton Crescent in Savanna-la-Mar, Sarge Kingston moved to New York in 1994. He presently resides in Houston, Texas.

— Kevin Jackson